Alarming: Rains Kill One Person in Riyadh

The Civil Defense Directorate announced Sunday that rains since last Wednesday has caused the death of one person in Riyadh. The Civil Defense received at least 457 emergency calls, of which 381 were in the Eastern Province.

The director of the information center at the Civil Defense said that control and guidance centers in Riyadh, Makkah, Al-Baha, the Eastern Province, Jazan and Tabuk received 457 calls, since Wednesday until Sunday morning. The breakdown of the calls were 55 in Riyadh, five in Makkah, 14 in Tabuk and 381 in the Eastern Province.

The lone death was reported in Riyadh city.

The number of people stranded by the rain and rescued was 132. Of them, 104 were in Riyadh, two in Makkah, three in Jazan, two in Tabuk and 21 in the Eastern Province. The majority of rescued were stranded in their cars. The number of cars pulled from the water reached 102, and 12 families was taken to shelters.

The information center called on citizens and residents to take precautions and stay away from flood paths and valleys and avoid going on picnic in the wilderness, especially if heavy rain is predicted for these areas. It asked people to follow the instructions of Civil Defense, which are published in the press and on social media websites.